Automatic weighing-machine.



No. 675,771. Patented lune 4,1901. 7

2,. EISENHART. v AUTOIAT'IG WEIGHING MACHINE.

(Appliclfion filed Dec- 13. 1900.)

(No Iodcl.) I 5 Sheets-Shoo! I.

nu: mm! mm m. mung. wunimou. a c.

No. 675,77I. I Patented Juno 4, I901.

E. H; EISENHART. AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 13, 1900.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Shaot 2.

zizouriill'zlsemr I a 7 3g :1 Jmzioz No. 675,771. Patented June 4, 1901.

EH. EISENHABT. AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE.

. (Application filed. 1m, 13, 1900.) I (No llodol.) 5 Sheets-Shut 3.

m: mam mans ca. wore-um wunmuroa'. a c.

No. 675,77l. Patented June 4, leoli E. H. EISENHART.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 13, 1900.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

I ii No. 675,77l. Patented-June 4.19m.

E. H. EISENHABT. AUTOII'ATIQ'WEIGHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec 13, 1900.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.,

m: Roam: wmns cu wo'rourua. wnsumn'rcn. m c.

UNITED, STATES PATENT I OFFicE.

EDWARD n EISENHART, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC W ElGHlNG-MACHINE.

srncrsreaTroN-fermin as of Letters rateat ne. 675,771, dated June 4, 1901. Application as Dccember13,.190 0. satin no. 39,761. (No an.)

To all 1071,0112, it may} concern-.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD I-I. EISENHAR'T, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic VVeighing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic weigh ing-machines, and more, especially to such machines employed for weighing sugar, coffee, spices, and similar commodities or articles of merchandise, and has for its object to provide a machine of the character referred to of novel and improved con'struc tion,wherein the material is fed directly from a hopper into the scale-pan" and is discharged'directly from the latter into the package-wrapper,

box, or receptacle designed for its reception and inwhich it is to be put up for the market.

To this end myinvention consists in the features and in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter Y fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims following the description, reference beinghad to the accompanying draw ings, forming a part of this specification, wherein-- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, illustrating a portion of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the machine, a portion thereof being removed. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail transverse sectional view of the scale-pan and feed cut-off, the scalean being shown'in its elevated position. ig. 5' is a similar viewtaken at a right angle to Fig. 4 and showing the scalepan in its lowered position and in the act of discharging the weighed material. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the auxiliary or minor feed cut-off. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective View illustrating the swinging scale-beam, the scale-pan, and its gates or tilting bottoms; and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the reciprocating cut-ofli slide.

Referring to the drawings, the numeralsl and 2, respectively, indicate the uprights and cross-beams of the frame of the machine, which may be constructed in any manner suitable for supporting the various parts. Suspended from two longitudinal stringers 3,

bolted to the upper ends of the uprights 1 on opposite sides of the frame, is a hopper consisting of a trough having parallel upper sides 4 and inclined converging lower sides 5, the'upper ends of the sides being rigidly at: tached to the stringers 3 by tie-rods 6, and the lower ends thereof are secured to the opposite sides of the bottom 7. The hopper extends the entire length of the machine and is common to a plurality of separate weighing devices, as will more fully hereinafter appear. hopper is grooved or channeled out centrally and longitudinally, as at 8, (see Figs. 3, 5, and 6 of the drawings,) and arranged to freely move in said groove is a reciprocating slide 9, held in place by longitudinal strips 7, attached to the bottom. The bottom 7 of the hopper is provided with several groups of feed-apertures, the groups corresponding in number to the number of weighing devices, and each group comprises a plurality of rela tively large apertues or slots 10 and a small aperture or slot 11. The reciprocating slide is provided with a plurality of apertures corresponding to the apertures in the hopperbottom, excepting that while the apertures 10 in the bottom are adapted to be brought into register with the apertures 12 of the slide the aperture 13 in said slide is sufficiently large to underlie or be placed in communication with the aperture 11 at all times. It will therefore be readily understood that when the slide is moved in one direction the apertures 10 and 12 will register with one another and the'aperture 13 in the slide will register with the aperture 11 in the bottom of the hopper. It will therefore be understood that when the slide is moved in one direction all vthe apertures in both the slide and the bottom of the hopper will be caused to register, and when the slide is moved in the "opposite directionthe apertures 10 in the bottom of the hopperwilllbe closed by the slide, while the auxiliaryorminor feedaperture llwill remain open. Hence it follows that when the slide ismoved in one direction all the apertures in both the bottom of the hopper and the slide are open and the material is fed therethrough, while when the slide is moved in the oppositev direction all the apertures 10 are closed and the aperture The under side of the bottom f the 11 remains open. The larger openings I denominate the major feed and the smaller opening 11 the minor feed, and means are provided for opening and closing the minor feed-opening at proper intervals, as will hereinafter bedescri bed.

Beneath each group of apertures 10 and 11 is arranged a weighing device, constructed as follows:. The numeral 14 indicates a scalebeam'forked at one end, as at 15, and provided on its under side withaV-shaped notch or recess that straddles a knife edge 16. The knife consists of a steel plate beveled or-sharpened at its upper edge and bolted or otherwise suitably fastened to a beam 1-7,which in turn is bolted to the uprights 1 of the frame of the machine. In the forked end of each of the scale-beams is secured a cale-pan consisting of a rectangular box or casing 18,0pe1'1 at its, upper end and at its lower enddisposed between the forked ends 15 of the scale-beam andsecured to the latter byscrews 19'or other suitable fastening devices. 0n the outer end of the scale-beam, is arranged a eight 20,

that may be adjusted longitudinally on the scale beam and is held in its adjusted positjonbyme'ans of nuts 21, screwed on the scalebeam on oppositesides of the weight. In pli icnice theweight will be adjusted on the scale-beam to sucha position that itwill hold the scale-pan elevated until the latter has had deposited therein a quantity of material .thait'will be of the desired weight, and thereupon the scale-pan will; bedepressed and will (lump or discharge its contents in the man- 3.9 nd by the'means which will now be described, Passingthrough the forked ends of eachjof the scale-beams are two tie-rods 21, said, rods being disposed on opposite sides of thescaleQan 18, and pivoted on each of said rods, is a gate, preferably formed of sheet ne al and comprising a bottom 22, sides 23,

"and an outer or rear end 24, that is formed bybending up the bottom at a right angle, as is most clearlyshownin Fig. 50f the drawings, Attached centrally to the under side of eachof the gates 22 is a rod 25, on theouter or free end of'which is adjustablymounted aweigh't26. One of each pair of gates is providedwitha lipor olfset flange 27, that is adapted, to-lap under'the edge ofthe adjacent gate to form a tight'closure between thetwo andprevent leakage of the material from the scale-gran,andv the weight 26 of the other gate is adjusted slightly farther from its fulcrum, se that said gate will be caused to rise slightly quicker than and in advance of its companion When the gates areclosedor in their elevated position, thesides 23 and rearends i24em'brace the sides and ends of the lower end of the scale-pan and prevent leakage .ofthecontents therefrom. As shown most 5 'clearly 'in 1, the knife-edge 16 extends approximately the'entire length ofthe machine and forms a fulcrum for all thefscalebeams, "and said khife-edgeis formed with upwardly-projecting flanges or shoulders 28,

before referred to. a pulley 55, which is connected by a'belt' 56 to a pulley 57, mounted on a shaft 58, jour that intervene between thescale-beams and sustain the weightof the contents of the scale-pan by a latch 29, which is pivoted at I its upper end'to the side of the scale-pan,

as at 30, and-at its lower end is providedwith a shoulder 31, which is adapted to hook under the gates and hold the latter closed. The extremity of the latch 29 is beveled, as at 32, and said beveled end lies againsta rod 33, that is arranged transversely of the frame of the machine and is secured thereto by nuts 34. The relative arrangementof thelatches 29 and rods 33 is such that when the scalepans areelevated the latches are. caused to engage the under side of thegate's by gravity and hold the latter closed but when the scale-pans swing down, under the influence -of the weight of their contents the beveled ends 31 of the latches are thrust laterally, to oneside by their engagement with the rods 33, and the shoulders 31 disengage the gates and release the latter,and said gates are there? upon tilted downward by'the material in the scale-pansand dump. or discharge the same,

as shown in Fig. 5.

Arranged'to travel beneath all the scale,-

pans is an endless; carrier 35, having afiixed thereto at suitable intervals fingers 36, which project at right angles tothe apron or carrier and are adapted to'engage the ends, of the boxes, trays, or receptacles into which the weighed material isto'be'deposited. The

apron or endless carrier 35, travels around two pulleys 37 and'38, respe tively mounted on shafts 39 and 40, and one of said pulleys, as 37, is driven from the power-shaft of the machine, as will be presently lnadecapparent. The numeral 41 indicates the main or pol-weishaft of the machine, which is driven from any suitable source of power, andion said 1 'shaft is mounted awheel42, one portion of the periphery of which is provided with gear teeth-4.3 and the other part is smooth. The

wheel 42 is arranged to engage. a whee144,

fixed on a transverse shaft 45, and said wheel 44 is provided on the major portion of its periphery with gear-teeth td while its remaining portion is made smooth and concave, as On the shaft 45 is fixed a pulley 48,

which is connected by a belt 49 to a pulley -50, fixed on a shaft 51, and on the shaft 51 is fixed a pulley'52, which is connected by a belt 53/00 a pulley 54:, fixed on the shaft 39, On the shaft 45 is fixed naled in suitable bearings. at one end ofthe frame of the machine, and on the shaft, 58 is fixed a cam or eccentric 59, which israrranged ;to rotate within a collar 60. The collar (50. is

fixed ona pitman. or connecting masi, and on the end of said rod is fixed a yokej62, to which is pivotally connected one end of the cut-0E slide 9. As before stated, the aperture 13 in the cut-01f slideis of such size that the aperture or slot 11 in the bottom of the feed-hopper will always register therewith, and hence the apertures 11 and 13 will always be in position to permit the material to pass therethrough from the hopper to the scalepans. To the under side of the bottom 7 of the hopper,directly beneath the aperture 11, is fastened a feed-spout 63, and to the sides of said ter open; but when the scale-pan descends beneath the weight of its contents the gate 64 will be raised by the weights 66 and will close the lower end of the spout 63. Each scalepan is provided with atransverse vertical partition 68 near one end, which extends from the upper edge of the scalepan to a point approximately midway between the top,

and bottom thereof, said partition operating ,to divide the scale-pan into two chambers,

one of which isfed by the major feed-openings l0 and the other by the minor feed-apertnre 11. It will be understood that each machine will comprise a plurality of scalepans, the feed-hopper being common to all the scale-pans and all the latter operating to discharge their contents into boxes, trays, or receptacles 69, carried by the apron and in which the weighed material is placed upon the market.

Thev operation of my im'proved weighingmachine is as follows: In the present instance it will be assumed that the machine is provided with nine separate scale-pans, though any other number may be manifestly employed. The shaft 41 being rotated as long as the smooth portion of the wheel 42 is in engagement with the concave portion 47 of the wheel 44, as shown in Fig. 1, which will be for one part of a revolution of the wheel 42, the wheel 44 will be idle. Hence both the slide 9 and the endlesslcarrier 35 will remain at rest, or motionless, the major feed-openings '10 being at such time closed. As soon, however, as the teeth of the wheel 42 engage the teeth of the wheel 44 the latter is put in rotation and forms one complete revolution while the wheel 42 is making one part of a revolution or while the teeth of the latter are in gear with the teeth of the wheel 44. Dur-' ting the first half-revolution of the wheel 44 the cam 59 will be opening the major feedreceive the major portion of the materialwhich they are set to receive. During the final half revolution of the wheel 44 the cam will operate to closethe major feed-openings 10; but the minor feed-openings will-remain open, owing to the scale-pans bearing against the gates 64 and holding the latter away from the spouts 63, and hence small quantities of the material will continue to befed into the scale-pans through'the minor feed-apertures.

During this time the endless carrier will continue to travel, carrying away the filled boxes or receptacles and bringing forward empty ones in their place, and by the time the smooth portion of the wheel 42 engages the smooth concave portion 47 of the wheel 44 all the filled receptacles will have been moved away and all the empty ones will have been moved into place beneath the scale-pans, where they will remain stationary until the teeth of the wheels 42 and 44 again gear with eachother.

While the smooth portions of the wheels 42 and 44 are in engagement, and hence while the carrier and cam are idle, the minor feedopenings continue to feed in the material in small streams to the scale-pans until the predeterminedweight of the material has been fed to the scale-pans, whereupon the latter overbalance the weights 20'and the scalepans drop to the position shown in Fig. 5. As the scale-pans swing down to their lowered positions the rods 33, being in engagement with the beveled partitions 32 of the latches, thrust the latter to one side, thereby releasing the gates 22, which are then tilted or swung down by the weight of the contents of the'scale-pans and dump or discharge said 7 contents into'the boxes or receptacles 69. As

soon as the scale-pans havedischarged' their contents the Weights 2O againelevate said pans and the weights 26 close the gates 22.

When the scale-pans are lowered, they disengage the gates 64, and the weights 66 immediately close said gates against the lower- 'pulley 52 makes three revolutions while the pulley 48 makes one, and the pulley 37 makes three revolutions while the pulley 52 makes one, or, in other words, the pulley 37 makes nine revolutions while the shaft 45 is making one.

scale-pans and will move thereunder a corresponding number of empty ones duringthe time the toothed portions of the wheels 42 and 44-are in gear.

tions 68 the material fed into thescale-pans through the major feed-openin gs will bepre Hence the carrier 35 will move all the a nine filled receptacles 69 from beneath the By providing the parti-' Having described my invention,

vented from flowing under the gates 64 and interfering with the operation of the latter.

I have shown the scales or weighing devices arranged side by side or in a straight row; but it will be manifest that they may be otherwise arranged, provided the arrangement is continuous.-

what I claim is- 1. v In a weighing-machine, the combination with a plurality of counterbalanced scalepans, of a hopper common to all of said scalepans and provided with a plurality of groups 'of teed-apertures, said groups of feed-apertures corresponding in number to the num ber of soale-pans and each group comprising aseries of major feed-apertures and a single minor feed-aperture, and means I for alternately opening and closing all the major feedopenings simultaneously, substantially as described.

2.- In a weighing-machine, the combination with a plurality ,of counterbalanced scalepans, of a hoppercommon to all of said scale- ,pans and provided with aplurality of groups offfeed-apertures, said groups of feed-apertures corresponding in numberto the number of scale-pans and each group comprising a series of major feed-apertures'and a single -minor feed-aperture, a'slide provided with apertures adaptedtobethrown into and out ofregister with the'major feedrapertures one of said apertures 0E1 each group in the slide being arranged to register at all timeswith the minor feed-aperture-in the corresponding "group of apertures in the hopper, and means for intermittinglyreciprocating said slideat regular-timed intervals, substantially as de scribed; o

t '3. In a weighing-machine, the combination with a plurality of counterbalanced scale- 1 pans,of a hopper common to all the scale-pans and provided with a plurality of groups of feed-apertures, said groups of feed-apertures corresponding in. number to the number of I scale-pans, and each group comprisinga plurality of major feed-apertures and a single minor; feed-aperture, means for alternately 1 opening and closing all the major feed-aper- .tures simultaneously, a spout pendent from each minor feed-aperture and extending into the corresponding scale-pan, and means for automatically closing said spouts when the scale-pans aredepressed, substantially as de- '7 with a plurality of counterbalanced scale scribed. v v o 1 4.. In a weighing-machine,the combination pans,of a hopper common to all the scale-pans and provided with a plurality of groups of feed-apertures, saidv groups corresponding in' number to thenumber ofscale-pans and each group'comprising a plurality of -major.feedapertures and a .single minor feed-aperture, means for alternately opening and closing all the major feed-apertures simultaneously,a

,spout pendent from each minor feed-aperture j and extending into the corresponding scalepan, a'hinged gate for each spont,and weights for normallyholding said gatesclosed against the dischargeends of the spouts,-thearrangement being such that when the scale-pans are elevated they engage said gates and hold them open, substantially as described;

5. In a weighing-machine, the combination with a counterbalanced scale-pan, of a hopper arranged above the scale-pan and pro- 'vided with'a plurality of major feed-apertures and a single minor feed-aperture, all arranged to discharge materialfrom the hopper intothe scale-pan, means for alternately opening and closing the majorfeed apertures at timed intervals, and for automatically preventing the discharge of material from the minor feedaperture when thescale-pan is depressed, and a transverse vertical partition in the scalepan between themajor and minor feed-aper- 'tures, substantially as described.

6. Ina weighing-machine,'the combination with a cou nterbalanced scale-pan, of a hopper arranged above the scale-pan and provided with a pluralityof major feed-apertures and a single minor feed-aperture, all arranged todischarge material from thehopper into the scale-pan, means for alternately opening and closing themajor feed-apertures at timed intervals and for automaticallypreventing the discharge of material from the minor feed aperture when the scale-pan isde'pressed, and.

a transversejvertical partition in.the scale-'- pan between the majorand ininor feed-apertures, said partition terminating atitslower edge ata point above the bottom of the scalepan, substantially asvdescribed V I 7. Ina-weighing-machine, the combination with a counterbalanced scale-pan, of a hopperarranged above the scale-panjand pro- I vided with apluralityof majorfeed-apertures and a single minor feed-aperture,all arranged .to discharge material fromthe hopperinto the scale-pan, meansfor alternately opening and closing the major feed-apertures at timed ini tervals, a spout pendent from the minor feed aperture and projeotingat its lower end into the scale-pan, a hinged gate weighted to normally close the lower end, of said spent, and a vertical partition disposed in the scale-pan between saidspout and the major feed aper-r tures, the arrangement beingsuchr that when the scale-pan is elevated it will engage and hold opensaid gate,substantially as described,

8. In a weighing-machine, the combination with a counterbalanced scale-pan provided with two gates or tilting bottoms weighted to normally close the bottom of thescale-pan,

oneof said'gates beingprovided witha lip or flange adapted to lap underthe adjacent edge of th'e other gate when the gates are closed, said (other gate being more. heavily .weighted than its companion, meansfor hold-o ingthe gates closed and meansfor automatically releasing said gates on -the descent of the scale-pan, substantially as described;

v 9. Ina weighing'fmachine the combination with a counterbalanced scale-pan provided with two gates or tilting bottoms, one of said gates being'arranged to underlap the adjacent edge of the other gate, and the said overlapping gate being more heavily Weighted than its companion to cause it to close in advance of said companion gate, of a pivoted latch carried by said scale-pan and provided with a shoulder arranged to engage the under side of said underlapping gate and hold both gates closed, said latch being provided with a beveled lower end, and a fixed rod arranged in the path of movement of the latch and operatingto engage said beveled end and thrust the latch to one side to release the gates on the descent of the scale-pan, substantially as described.

10. In a weighing-machine,the combination with a plurality of counterbalanced scale-pans and a feed-hopper common to all said sealepans, of a feed cut-off arranged to control the feed from the hopper to the scale-pans, a carrier arranged to deliver receptacles beneath the scale-pans and remove them therefrom, and mechanism constructed to periodically actuate the cut-off to vfeed the material from the hopper to the scale-pans and simultane ously actuate the said carrier to feed forward the receptacles, substantially as described.

11. In a weighing-machine,the combination with a plurality of counterbalanced scale-pans and a feed-hopper common to all said scalepans, of a feed cut-ofiarranged to control the feed from the hopper to the scale pans, a carrier arranged to deliver receptacles beneath the scale-pans and remove them therefrom, a power-shaft, a cam and connected mechanism actuated by said power-shaft for operating the cut-off, and gearing operated from said power-shaft for feeding forward the carrier simultaneously with the movement of the cut-ofi, substantially as described.

12. InaWeighing-machine,thecombination with a plurality of counterbalanced scale-pans and a feed-hopper common to all said scalepans, of a feed cut-off arranged to control the feed from the hopper to the scale-pans, a carrier arranged to deliver receptacles beneath the scale-pans and remove them therefrom, a power-shaft, a cam and connected mechanism actuated by said power-shaft for operating the cut-off, and multiplying-gearing actuated by the power-shaft for feeding forward the carrier, said power-shaft being arranged to automatically throw into and out of engagement the said cam and carrier, substantially as described.

13. In a weighing-machine,the combination with a hopper, of a scale-pan provided with a partition near one end dividing said pan into a major and a minor part, both said parts receiving their supplies from the hopper and both said parts of the pan being arranged to simultaneously dump their contents directly into a package-wrapper, means for first feeding material from the hopper simultaneously to both the major and minor parts of the pan,

means for cutting off the feed from the major part of the pan while the material continues to be fed to the minor part thereof, and means for finally cutting off the feed from the minor part of the pan when the latter has received a predetermined quantity, substantially as described.

14. In a weighing-machine,the combination per being provided with a feed-aperture ar= ranged to feed material to the minor part of the scale-pan, means for feeding material from the hopper simultaneously to both the major and minor parts of the pan, means for cutting off the feed from the major part of the pan while the material continues to be fed to the minor part thereof, and a gate for controlling the said minor feed-aperture, said gate comprising a pivoted plate weighted at one end to normally hold it elevated to close said feed-aperture, the arrangement being such that when the scale-pan is elevated it holds said gate open and when the scale-pan descends the weighted gate automatically closes, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

EDWARD I-I. EISENHART. Witnesses:

JAMES L. NORRIS, PHILIP N. TILDEN. 

